Pressing faux suede advice

[Photomouse]

From this firm http://www.linkmediasupplies.co.uk/prod ... dyeuv.html

Nice chap to deal with. Any thoughts on how I can overcome the ripple effect from my ptfe sheet? Any other suggestions on a different sheet? I was thinking paper but that's not the cheapest solution.

[pisquee]

What PTFE sheet? Where is it and what are you using it for?

[Photomouse]

Answered this in the other post but this is our setup from top to bottom. PTFE sheet, plain paper (to stop the print coming trough to the PTFE sheet) print, fabric, aluminium sheet, foam layer then the bed of the press.

We've found that just using the foam is not enough, it was to soft and was making the finished print on the fabric look faded. We tried it without the foam and the aluminium sheet but the heated plate is not completely flat, so the print was not perfect edge to edge. The aluminium has given us much better results but I'm sure we could be getting much better.

It all seems trial and error at the moment, we've never printed onto fabric before so it's one big learning curve.

When you press onto fabric for trials, what is your setup?

[pisquee]

Our flat bed press is a PressMech if we just wanted to test a design, or new piece of fabric quickly we may just do it on there rather than firing up the rotary press.
We just use the press as is with no problems... what press do you have?

[Photomouse]

We have a transmatic, this one http://transmatic.it/eng/products.asp?ID_prodotto=9

[Photomouse]

Here is some of the results I'm getting, the one in the middle was pressed on a hard bed with no foam. The others are pressed on the aluminium sheet on top of the foam.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2521[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2522[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2523[/ATTACH]

Any thoughts on how they can be improved?

[JMugs]

I've ordered some inktec, will be here tomorrow, 24"x100m. £30 plus p+p plus vat, how does that compare to what your paying?

another problem I'm having is the marks left by the ptfe sheet I'm using, what else can I use in place of that? Because the sheet has ripples on it you can see the ripples in the print. I ordered ptfe as I couldn't find a Teflon sheet 50x74cm.

Interesting that's about the same for 100m as 100 feet of trupix!

Next time I need some I shall enquire with my Inktec supplier.....fine upstanding, helpful chap that he is...

Janners

[pisquee]

We've tried papers from Coldenhove, InkTec, and TruePix recently, and the TruPix seemed the worst of the three in terms of print quality - images appeared more fuzzy, and had more ink left on the page after pressing than the other two. Also noticed a colour shift when moving from Coldenhove to TruPix, more so than the InkTec papers. But, I would definitely recommend making a new ICC if changing papers. We've also noticed that the InkTec papers can't take as much ink as the Coldenhove - takes longer to dry and cockles a bit, but for the cost saving we're going to work around that.

[Photomouse]

Craked it! you was right Pisquee it was the paper, the results are so much better. Your right about the ink sitting on the paper and letting it dry. Thank you for all your help.